Tamed racing cars for the road
06/01/2011
Nowadays, when racing cars have largely become alienated from road vehicles (just think about going shopping with a modern Formula 1 car or prototype), there is hardly any example of a successful transformation of such a racing vehicle into a vehicle that can be driven in normal traffic.
It was different in the past, but there are not too many examples between 1945 and today where racing technology has been transferred directly to the road. However, we can name a few.
The Talbot-Lago Grand Sport (T26) was basically based on the chassis of the Grand Prix car. Even the engine was only slightly adapted. This was at the beginning of the fifties and 32 vehicles were built.
The Jaguar XK SS, sold in 16 units, adopted the chassis and even the body of the Jaguar D-Type to a large extent in 1956. Only a little comfort inside, a windscreen and weather protection were offered to buyers, along with a more civilized engine and reduced noise levels.
Based on the racing car technology of the Alfa Romeo Tipo 33/2, Franco Scaglione designed the body of the 33 Stradale and created a masterpiece. Combined with the slightly modified engine from the racing car, the 33 Stradale was one of the most expensive road cars on sale at the time. Only 12 or 13 examples with the Scaglione aluminum body were produced between 1967 and 1971.
There were certainly a few other examples and there were also later racing cars for the road, such as the Dauer 962, which was based on the Porsche 962 Endurance car and, depending on your perspective, you could also include the Saleen or the Maserati MC12 in this group, but historians can worry about that in a few years' time.
